Being an account of one yarnthirsty wench and her never ending quest for the land of milk, honey and natural fibers!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Thank you Jaime! Talk about booty! My KTS2 swap came today! Oh my gosh! There's honey (made from bees local to my pal!) and sugar sticks and a caramel cube, some nifty stitch markers, two skeins of koigu in one of my favorite colorways (how did you KNOW???) and a skein of Lambs Pride that is just begging to be a winter cap. And then some teas! There's a tin of mystery tea, it looks kind of like black tea with cornflower and chamomile, but I'm not sure. And then .5 oz each of City Harvest Blend and Spiced Ginger Mint. Yum!!! Those came from The Tea Trove. Also there's a bag of sticky fingers scone mix! My favorite!

Today I had Adventures With Fast Food and Adventures At The Grocery Store. The first, not so much fun. Mental note, no matter HOW hungry you are, no matter HOW yummy you think you remember fast food being, it is NOT yummy and you will feel ill after eating it. Just drive home and make a sandwich. That's right, I ate my first fast food in... well it's been so long that I don't remember how long. I tell ya, I think I'd have been safer having bacon wrapped mystery meat on Hollywood Blvd from an unlicensed street vendor at 2am than eating that Western Bacon Smells Like Death Chicken Sandwich.

At the grocery store, my basket contained a HUGE london broil, two heads of fresh broccoli, fresh bread, shallots, two romance novels and two quarts of Brownie Batter ice cream. I might as well have been carrying a big old sign over my head in neon, screaming, "HEY! I HAVE PMS! ALSO! HI! IT IS THE GRUMPY WEEK OF THE MONTH! FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, GET OUT OF MY WAY!" because nothing says hormonally challenged like red meat, chocolate ice cream and trashy romance novels. I may be the only person in the world who craves green veggies at this time of the month, but I assure you, they really do help.

Knitting? I ripped out my sock again. But the sleeve is growing nicely, thank you. I'm in the "continue until sleeve measures 8.5" portion of the pattern and I think we're good until the increases start....

I always think that if your cart contains any combination of tampons, pads, chocolate, salty foods, meat, ice cream, and trashy novels/magazines.. that the "and how are you today?" at the register is a loaded question. I find that in the South.. even snarling at them won't get the point across.

New commenter here, just to say that nope, you are so not the only one who craves greens on PMS. I get mad urges for spinach salads (and I'm kinda ticked off I can't have it anymore!) red meats, and chocolate ice cream. Hubby and I were discussing it last night, and we're sure the cravings come from my body telling me what nutrients I'm in need of. Spinach and meat for iron, choc for the loving feelings it induces (which I think combats the extreme grouchiness somewhat) and the dairy for calcium. Therefor, never deny yourself what you crave on PMS =)

Yep; I agree with Marvie. It's the iron. The human female is the only animal on earth who constantly loses iron through menstruation, loss of the placenta (which other animals EAT) and lactation.

Cravings can either be what your body needs (for me, it's usually salt for my very low blood pressure) or an addictive response (carbohydrates and caffeine can do that, and I'm told cheese does too, but I don't believe it).

I don't have a PMS recipe myself, but I do have one for all-nighters:- Diet Coke or Pepsi (caffeine without the extreme dehydration and sleepy warm feeling of coffee and tea)- lime seltzer (hydration + the bubbles help you stay alert. You *can* do regular water, but it's less effective)- chocolate (minor caffeine buzz, sugar, chocolate happy drugs, self-pampering feeling)- Sun Chips (best), potato chips, doritos, or similar (salt helps keep you hydrated. Your personal needs may vary. Crunch + fat = comfortable pampering feeling)- V8 juice (vitamin and mineral kick a la Popeye, plus salt for hydration). Do not skip this one; it's the most important.

The balance of these is a personal matter, but when you get it right it works better than Red Bull. Not to mention less scary than taurine and better tasting. I went three days on 4 hours of sleep once in grad school, and this is what got me through.